Anirban Mitra is an Assistant Professor in Economics at the University of Kent (Canterbury, UK). His research broadly involves development and political economy issues. His work has a South Asia focus and also includes the analysis of ethnic/religious conflict through the lens of economics. Prior to Kent, he has worked at the University of Oslo. He obtained his Ph.D in Economics from New York University in May 2012.

There is ample anecdotal evidence on political parties bribing voters with cash or consumption goods prior to elections, in India and other developing countries. However, there is an expected lack of hard evidence on the extent and form of vote-buying. Using data from Indian states, this column analyses consumption patterns of households around elections, and finds a spike for some items just before elections.
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Studies have highlighted the role of electoral competition in directing the flow of public funds. Analysing data from India, this column finds lower income inequality and polarisation in tightly contested constituencies, implying that the poor gain more from electoral competition relative to the rich.
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